It’s a rare thing to find eco accessories that seem as essential as the basic staples in our lives. Sustainability is not about acquiring more goods but about finding a balance and a loop of consumption that closely examines ecology and personal need. This is probably why Heather Heron’s clutches and totes feel so right. Designed and crafted with organic European hemp, Heron’s eco glam designs are guilt-free luxurious and beautifully streamlined. With L.A. Fashion Week coming to a close, it is a real discovery to come across a California designer who defies passing trends with both an earthy and shimmery take on true sustainable style.

Luxury hemp might still be a mystery to some, but consider that Heather Heron uses only the finest organic European hemp in her perfectly–sized clutches and totes. Small enough to take with you everywhere for just about any occasion, and roomy enough to stash your essentials, Heather keeps the modern woman in mind with her stylish versatile creations.

Wholesome materials abound in all Heather Heron organic hemp accessories embellished with naturally dyed hemp-silk charmeuse lining and leather banding accents. Heron is a self-taught designer who smartly designs a few keys pieces each season that speak to a well-curated wardrobe. Her L.A. produced clutches and totes are being eagerly snatched up by eco-savvy starlets as well as stores and retailers that are looking to promote only the best of eco fashion and socially responsible production. We originally fell in love with Heather’s designs when we caught a glimpse at the Project Earth Day designer accessories showcase here in NYC this past spring, and we are excited to see that the momentum has been building ever since for this talented and eco-conscious designer. Look for Heather Heron’s designs in the hands and on the shoulders of women who really value the spirit of green fashion and all that it carries.

Thank you for your comments and input regarding how we might improve the focus of our site. As a design-focused blog, we have been debating as a team whether or not to continue including eco fashion and green lifestyle focused stories. As ‘robmiller 7′ echoes above, in the end we have concluded that all aspects of design are indeed part of the (household) equation when considering the overall sustainability quotient.

It is a tough balance to make all of our readers happy, but we do feel that it is important to touch on a variety of topics at this stage in addition to the original architecture focus of Inhabitat.

I feel that it is important to clarify that, although hand bags might seem superfluous to some (and we apologize for perhaps overdoing it with two back-to-back eco accessories posts on a single Sunday with world headlines focused on a tanking global economy), it is important to recognize that designers who are working very hard to introduce green materials and sustainable methods are doing so with very good intention. The designers we feature are not operating behind a green-washing facade or as blind promoters of frivolous, wasteful consumption. We work very hard to sort through those green fashion designers that we feature.

What is impressive about both accessory designers from this past Sunday’s column is the self-restraint used in creating a limited number of pieces in their collections – without manufacturing waste or toxic printing or harmful fabrics. “Organic European hemp” might seem pretentious to some, but it is actually an extremely viable material and an excellent way of providing new green jobs in a country like Romania. Having spent a considerable amount of time in Eastern Europe myself, I know how important these new ‘green collar jobs’ are.

I understand that fashion and art even tend to rub folks the wrong way when examining the bare bones practicality of what is sustainable. We are all looking to define what it essential in our lives. But in an era when smart solutions are required, let us not forget about how beauty and intelligent design can also inspire us to pull ourselves out of the quagmire.

For some, collecting an eco fashion item is as viable as identifying a key sustainable element for an architectural space or landscaped vista. Folks have been blowing money on architecture for years, so let’s support those eco fashion designers who are trying to redefine what fashion luxury truly might be as a better way of doing things for the long term and the threads on our backs. Otherwise, the rift and the have and have-nots will always be a spoiler on this planet.

Thanks for reading and showing your concern. We welcome additional comments on this topic.

Abigail @ Inhabitat

robmiller7October 20, 2008 at 5:44 am

This is a website about sustainable lifestyle choices and innovations. It is extremely positive, and in places light-hearted. What a welcome relief to have a positive source of news these days. Jill Et Al. I commend you. Sustainability is a way of life, which needs be part of every decision one makes, from your babies\\\\\\\’ nappies/diapers to the house you live in and the car / mode of transport you get around in, and to where your electricity comes from. So a word of support, Jill. I think you have the balance spot on (as I think you know).

We do want to create an Inhabitat fashion blog, but until we have the resources and writers to do that, we will continue our fashion coverage on Inhabitat as we have done since our inception in 2005. I can understand why you don’t like fashion coverage, but there are readers out there who enjoy it. No-one is forcing you to read this stuff, so why don’t you just ignore the articles that don’t interest you instead of complaining about them. This is what most savvy readers do. We give you a choice of subjects so that you can pick and choose what you want to read. Try our category specific RSS feeds – thats what this is for…

Thanks-
Jill
Founder & Editor-in-chief
Inhabitat.com

SnarkOctober 19, 2008 at 7:00 pm

Maybe it’s time Inhabitat created a green fashion blog, in addition to Inhabitat and Inhabitots. Those of us who come here to read about sustainable urban/architectural/industrial design are not typically much concerned with fashion, and fashionistas are not typically concerned with architecture and technology.

From a personal perspective, I can’t help but roll my eyes at the infusion of this sort of superficial green material into the world of fashion, which may embrace the trendiness of “European hemp” and “greenness”, but which still embraces the consumerist, wasteful, essentially superficial sensibility that is antithetical to true sustainability. I don’t care to read these lightweight blog posts about handbags, because they’re not particularly important and not particularly significant to promoting sustainability in society. Some may enjoy that sort of thing, so why not make two very different audiences with different sensibilities wade through material that doesn’t interest them in the slightest? Same way with Inhabitots, which was wisely spun off (though frequent crossposts remain) from Inhabitat, in recognition of the fact that architects and scientists and designers don’t care about baby clothes.